Glassware on the antiques market

Saturday

Jun 29, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 9, 2013 at 4:15 PM

Two of the most-talked-about types of glass in the field of antiques are stained glass and Depression glass.

Dr. LoriArt & Antiques by Dr. Lori

Two of the most-talked-about types of glass in the field of antiques are stained glass and Depression glass. STAINED GLASS The typical styles of stained glass used in the 19th and early 20th centuries included stained-glass windows in the traditional pictorial style that was most prominent between 1820-1930, quarry glazing that came into use from 1850 to1870, enamel painted glass that has been popular since 1800 and opalescent-style glass that was in vogue from 1870 to 1920. Nonfigural quarry-stained-glass windows represent the modest beginnings of America's stained- glass tradition. Quarry glazing was a popular type of stained glass making used in the Renaissance period. Early quarry glazing offered small sections of glass assembled into a colorful lattice pattern and was used on churches and other important civic buildings. Many Protestant congregations in early 19th-century America adopted this nonfigurative method of decoration, in part because of a shortage of technical and financial resources, and also because of a distaste for installing imagery in churches.The ornamental patterning and use of universal imagery is evident in the mid 19th-century stained-glass tradition. The rounded or Renaissance framed arch windows housing works of stained-glass art were typical in the late 1800s or what has been characterized as the Renaissance Revival movement. This style was found in many well-to-do homes. The formal nature of such windows refers to the fact that it is a residence, rather than a church. Depending on the size, style and condition of antique stained-glass pieces, values on the antiques market can range widely. Architectural salvage companies and antique collectors pay good money for well-constructed and highly decorated pieces of stained glass. For pieces dating from the 1800s to the early 1900s, certain pieces are valued upwards of $5,000 to $50,000 depending on certain factors. DEPRESSION GLASS American-made glassware called Depression glass has a deceptive name because the glassware, typically used for dining, was first introduced in the mid-1920s and continued to be produced well into the 1950s — a far cry from the Depression era. While the glass was produced years after the Depression, this glassware is one of America's favorite antiques and collectibles.You will find it in almost every antiques and collectible shop, flea market and yard sale. Seemingly everyone's got at least one piece of Depression glass, even it if was made in the period when we liked Ike in the White House. In the collecting category of 1930s Depression glass, green is king. Green is the most popular of the Depression glass colors overpowering the traditional amber, yellow or pink varieties. Although the Depression was a period where the green stuff, aka money, was only in the hands of a few fortunate Americans, glass was an inexpensive product to produce. As a result, Depression glass became the centerpiece of the American dinner table. The most popular and highly sought-after Depression glass pieces and crackle glass pieces are those pieces of green glass. Glassware for dining as well as decorative pieces command high prices from the antique trade. Antiques appraiser, author and TV personality Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide and is the expert appraiser on the Discovery channel's "Auction Kings." Visit DrLoriV.com, Facebook.com/DoctorLori, follow @DrLoriV on Twitter or call 888-431-1010.

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